1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to the field of software applications, and more particularly to the field of integrating human interaction software with corporate communication systems.
2. Discussion of the State of the Art
Companies know that consumers (customers and future customers) turn to search engines when they are looking for information, so they are heavily investing in website design, search engine optimization, mobile, and online marketing to ensure that they are found during the search . . . and that they are providing a channel of communication that is easy to use and navigate. The easier it is for a consumer to find a company, and navigate through the information, the more likely they will be to use the technology and become and/or stay a customer. However, with the rapid growth in search engine use it is truly surprising how most companies are still behind in delivering an effective and easy to use online experience for consumers. According to Econsultancy MultiChannel Customer Experience report “Only 26% of companies have a well-developed strategy in place for improving the search and online customer experience”. Also, “40% of organizations cite ‘complexity’ as the greatest barrier to improving multichannel online customer experiences”. This complexity and lack of simple online strategies is leading to poor customer experiences and frustration, and costing organizations a lot of money. According to Parature Customer Service Blog, “poor online customer experiences result in an estimated $83 Billion loss by US enterprises each year because of webpage defections caused by poor design, lack of contact information or links for assistance, and abandoned purchases from web order pages”.
Search engine and online use by consumers is growing rapidly, and companies are trying to keep up to capture this audience. However, what companies seem to forget, or ignore, is the fact that when it comes to customer service most consumers actually prefer to speak with someone. According to the American Express 2011 Global Customer Service Barometer “90% of US consumers prefer to resolve their customer service issues through live communication with a customer service representative via the telephone, rather than through online chat, email, text messaging, or even face to face.” Companies have approached their multichannel strategies as an extension of their self-service strategy, so they tend to make it difficult for the consumer to actually speak with someone. Typically the phone number is hidden on a page several layers deep within the site, in very small font, and it usually does not show up in the results through a search engine, forcing the consumer to go to the website and search for the number. This “self-service” approach to their web strategy may be viewed as a solution in providing information and value to the consumer, but when it comes to allowing your customers to contact you this overall strategy has resulted in complaints, defections, and ultimately lost revenue.
What is needed, is a means to retrieve and integrate a company's contact information in search results, facilitating a much more efficient and user-friendly “one click” means of contacting a business after locating their information in an Internet search.